Up late talking games & writing? You're...

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Games: Although it's not exactly a new thing, two games I've played recently have included vocal NPCs tagging along with the player-- and I love it. Specifically, the titles I'm referring to are Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood and Ghostbusters.
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In Juarez, the player selects either Thomas or Ray McCall at the beginning of each level, and the AI plays the role of the other. Although the adventure is heavily scripted in nearly every aspect, their constant company provides ample opportunity for dialogue between the characters. These conversations help build a sense of familiarity with the characters, and it's very welcome to play a game where I don't feel like a lone soldier fighting a war all by myself. Honestly, the back-and-forth between the brothers is the best aspect of the entire game.
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In Ghostbusters (I'm still really early in the game) but the first section featured constant chatter between the player and the main characters from the films.
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With the exception of two or three extremely brief segments when separated from the rest of the Bustin’ crew, the game was very much about a team atmosphere. As a fan, I was extremely thrilled to hear that all of the original actors reprise their roles, but aside from that fact, it was quite enjoyable to (again) not feel like that solo character taking on the world.
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I think there's definitely a lot of room for game developers to explore this avenue. After all, gamers have spent so many years being the one who saves the girl/city/planet/universe that I think a title or two putting players in a team, secondary or supporting role would be quite welcome change of pace. The key difference would be the amount of constant interaction the NPCs had, as well as the copious amounts of dialogue. By simply exposing the player's character to the presence of other characters, an entirely new quality begins to emerge thanks to the fact that the talking isn't limited to between-level cut scenes or two talking heads speaking via bubbles.
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Oh, here are a couple of quick links:
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The latest GameCritics Podcast, Episode 18: Wii Hate Nintendo and my Steambot Chronicles Battle Tournament review. Feedback on either/both is always welcome.
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TV: The wife and I just caught up with SyFy’s new series, Warehouse 13.
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(And by the way, I personally think that the change to this new ‘SyFy’ moniker is a completely stupid and pointless decision pandering to the wrong sort of thinking. Anyway…)
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It actually wasn't too bad. The basic premise is that the government operates a giant warehouse out in the middle of nowhere that stores dangerous and mystical artifacts. Two Secret Service agents are free to go out into the field, and I assume that each episode will likely center around a new magical doodad or cursed trinket. (It reminds me a bit of the old Friday the 13th TV series, but hey... there's nothing new under the sun.)
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The characters were likable enough with the casting rules being a bit reversed; the male character was sensitive and feely while the female took charge and was more gruff. Although the first episode was a bit predictable, there's definitely potential here and we both decided that we would be tuning in for the next few episodes, at the very least.
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Also in SyFy (bleagh) news, I'm glad to report that recent commercials have advertised the upcoming second season of Sanctuary. Although I can't say that I know of anyone besides us that actually watched it, I like the first arc enough to watch every episode and am looking forward to its return.
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There have got to be at least a few other fans of the show out there, right? Right??
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(And hey, does anybody know if Krod Mandoon is coming back? LOVED that show…)
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